Upgrades proposed to improve artesian well park

City staff will brief the Olympia City Council on the proposals at today’s meeting, at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 601 Fourth Ave. E. If the council concurs, staff will move forward on the project. Nothing is set in stone, and the actual elements of the improvements are not final.

Improving the park would require blocking off about 20 parking spaces, Keith Stahley, director of Community Planning and Development, said. But he said that area is very lightly used.

“The solutions can be pretty, pretty low cost,” he said. “We’re talking about potentially bringing in some paint and some landscape elements.”

One possibility would be to add boulders for people to sit and depict a river that would go out onto Fourth Avenue, said Ruthie Snyder, the city’s downtown liaison. Mobile food vendors, covered tables and chairs and games such as chess boards are other ideas.

“I need to get concurrence from City Council that they’re interested in that happening,” Stahley said. If they are, he will develop a process for public input and aim for the improvements between now and this summer, he said.

Suggestions for improving the space came from more than 120 participants, including school children, social services, business owners, Intercity Transit staff and city staff, according to a city staff report.

They identified projects to improve four locations — the artesian well site, the Olympia Transit Center, Sylvester Park and “parklets” or mini parks, according to a staff report. The city is taking the lead on the well site and parklets, Intercity Transit is studying the transit center and the state is considering Sylvester Park.

PARKLETS

Another idea the council will consider is to turn two sets of two parallel parking spaces on downtown streets into mini parks. The concept, which has been done in San Francisco, could include benches, landscaping and public art, Stahley said.

“They could go in any two city parking stalls in downtown,” Stahley said. If the council thinks that’s a good idea, city staff would immediately try to find partners to help them do the project, he said. It could also be completed by summer.

“We do need to do some outreach before we send this out to the public,” he said.

Matt Batcheldor: 360-704-6869
mbatcheldor@theolympian.com